With Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan on the verge of announcing his candidacy for Congress against U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent -- according to sources -- area Republicans sought to paint the Democratic mayor as having misled voters when running for reelection earlier this year.

"Let us be clear about this – John Callahan chose his new path with utter disregard for promises he made to the voters whom elected him in the 2009 primary," Lehigh County GOP Chair Bill Platt wrote in a statement.

Northampton County GOP chair Roy Shuman released a similar statement this afternoon.

Platt referenced a Morning Call story earlier this year in which Callahan suggested he wasn't interested in a run for Congress. Callahan changed his mind after he had won a Democratic primary for mayor. He was heavily courted by Democrats to run for Congress.

Callahan responded in a statement: “These partisan attacks symbolize exactly what’s wrong with Republican politicians both in Washington and in the Lehigh Valley. The attacks won’t do a thing to get our economy back on track, create jobs, or address the many other challenges our communities are currently facing, but sadly it seems this is all the GOP has to offer.”

Sources who have spoken with the mayor told The Morning Call this week that he's made up his mind and is preparing to put a campaign team in place.

One reason the GOP suggested that Callahan was delaying an announcement: the early August deadline to file as a third-party candidate for mayor in Bethlehem. Callahan doesn't have a Republican opponent in the mayor's race, but a third party candidate could still file for the November election if they're able to scrounge up enough signatures.

"I can’t help but wonder if Mayor Callahan may be cagily holding off his formal announcement until after Monday, Aug. 3," Shuman said in a statement. "The last date for anyone who actually cares about the City of Bethlehem to file nomination papers to run as an independent for the office of mayor. After all, the last thing Mayor Callahan would want is an actual mayoral race where he’d have to be confronted with his record as Mayor of Bethlehem to put a crimp in his congressional aspirations."

Callahan said in the statement that he was "proud of all I’ve accomplished as Mayor, whether it’s the billions of dollars in economic development we’ve brought to the city or the thousands of jobs I’ve helped create here in our community and that record speaks for itself.

"Bethlehem stands today as one of the safest fastest growing and most prosperous cities in Pennsylvania. I am excited about the future of Bethlehem and remain committed to moving this great city and the region forward. Any partisan attempt to question my commitment to Bethlehem is simply desperate and disingenuous.”